Language, when you need it

State a position with appropriate strength and ownership.

• "If you ask me,"

  informal

  Personal, conversational opening.

  If you ask me, the second option is far stronger.

• "It seems to me that…"

  neutral

  Tentative, polite opinion.

  It seems to me that the timing is the real issue.

• "I'd argue that…"

  neutral

  Confident, slightly academic.

  I'd argue that cost shouldn't be the deciding factor.

• "From where I'm standing,"

  neutral

  Acknowledges your perspective.

  From where I'm standing, the risks outweigh the benefits.

• "It is widely held that…"

  formal

  Reports a common view; essay register.

  It is widely held that screen time affects sleep.

Show alignment without sounding repetitive.

• "You've got a point there."

  informal

  Conceding a partial agreement.

  You've got a point there — I hadn't thought of cost.

• "I couldn't agree more."

  neutral

  Strong, warm agreement.

  I couldn't agree more — flexibility matters most.

• "Exactly what I was going to say."

  informal

  Marks shared thinking.

  Exactly what I was going to say — let's go with B.

• "That's a fair point."

  neutral

  Acknowledges the strength of an argument.

  That's a fair point — let's build on it.

• "I'm broadly in agreement with…"

  formal

  Slightly hedged, formal.

  I'm broadly in agreement with the proposal's main thrust.

Push back without making it personal — vital for Speaking P3.

• "I see where you're coming from, but…"

  neutral

  Acknowledge before disagreeing.

  I see where you're coming from, but I'd weight cost differently.

• "I'm not entirely convinced."

  neutral

  Soft disagreement.

  I'm not entirely convinced — what about the long term?

• "That's one way of looking at it."

  neutral

  Polite, slightly sceptical.

  That's one way of looking at it, but consider the team.

• "I'd have to take issue with that."

  formal

  Stronger formal disagreement.

  I'd have to take issue with that — the data points the other way.

• "Hmm, I'm not so sure."

  informal

  Tentative pushback in speech.

  Hmm, I'm not so sure — that feels rushed.

Essential for Speaking Part 2 (long turn) and discussion.

• "She might well be a…"

  neutral

  Likely speculation about a photo.

  She might well be a freelance designer working from a café.

• "I'd say it's probably…"

  neutral

  Confident guess.

  I'd say it's probably somewhere in southern Europe.

• "It looks as if…"

  neutral

  Visual evidence.

  It looks as if they've just finished a long shift.

• "There's every chance that…"

  neutral

  Strong probability.

  There's every chance that the project will succeed.

• "It's hard to tell, but…"

  neutral

  Honest hedging.

  It's hard to tell, but I'd guess late afternoon.

For Speaking P2 and any cross-text question.

• "Whereas the first photo shows…, the second…"

  neutral

  Clean parallel contrast.

  Whereas the first photo shows a quiet street, the second shows a packed market.

• "Both share a sense of…"

  neutral

  Highlight similarity.

  Both share a sense of urgency.

• "The key difference seems to be…"

  neutral

  Direct contrast statement.

  The key difference seems to be the time of day.

• "By comparison,"

  neutral

  Quick contrast move.

  By comparison, the second image feels staged.

• "On the whole, they're similar in that…"

  neutral

  Summarise overlap.

  On the whole, they're similar in that both capture city life.

Buy thinking time and confirm understanding.

• "Sorry, are you saying that…?"

  neutral

  Reformulate to confirm.

  Sorry, are you saying that you'd rule out option A entirely?

• "Could you run that by me again?"

  informal

  Ask for repetition.

  Could you run that by me again? I want to make sure I follow.

• "What do you mean exactly by…?"

  neutral

  Probe specific word.

  What do you mean exactly by 'sustainable' here?

• "Let me see if I've got this right."

  neutral

  Set up a paraphrase.

  Let me see if I've got this right — you'd start with B?

• "Just to be clear,"

  neutral

  Frame a confirmation.

  Just to be clear, we're talking about the November deadline.

Land a joint decision in Speaking P3.

• "Shall we go with… then?"

  neutral

  Propose closure.

  Shall we go with the second option then?

• "I'd be happy to compromise on…"

  neutral

  Show flexibility.

  I'd be happy to compromise on the timing.

• "What if we…?"

  neutral

  Float a creative third option.

  What if we combined the two?

• "On reflection, I'd actually…"

  neutral

  Shift your position smoothly.

  On reflection, I'd actually prefer the third option.

• "Let's split the difference."

  informal

  Suggest a middle path.

  Let's split the difference and pick the medium tier.

Beyond yes/no — invite real discussion.

• "What's your take on…?"

  neutral

  Ask for personal stance.

  What's your take on remote learning?

• "How do you feel about…?"

  neutral

  Emotion-tinged question.

  How do you feel about that change?

• "What would you do if…?"

  neutral

  Hypothetical prompt.

  What would you do if you only had a week?

• "To what extent do you think…?"

  formal

  Academic, balanced question.

  To what extent do you think social media shapes opinion?

• "Any thoughts on…?"

  informal

  Soft invitation.

  Any thoughts on the new timetable?

Anecdotes for Speaking P1 / P4 and narrative writing.

• "The funny thing was,"

  informal

  Set up a twist.

  The funny thing was, I'd forgotten my own ticket.

• "Long story short,"

  informal

  Compress a tale.

  Long story short, we got there an hour late.

• "It all started when…"

  neutral

  Open a story.

  It all started when I missed the early train.

• "What happened next was unbelievable."

  informal

  Build suspense.

  What happened next was unbelievable — the lights went out.

• "Looking back on it,"

  neutral

  Reflective frame.

  Looking back on it, I'd handle it completely differently.

Writing-paper register — proposals, reports, essays.

• "This essay will argue that…"

  formal

  Thesis statement.

  This essay will argue that screen time is poorly defined.

• "It could be argued that…"

  formal

  Introduce a counter-view fairly.

  It could be argued that the policy was overdue.

• "On balance,"

  formal

  Close-of-argument summary.

  On balance, the benefits outweigh the costs.

• "Having considered both sides,"

  formal

  Signpost conclusion.

  Having considered both sides, I would recommend…

• "In light of the above,"

  formal

  Lead into recommendation.

  In light of the above, the committee should approve the plan.

Close a turn, paragraph or essay cleanly.

• "To sum up,"

  neutral

  Standard summary opener.

  To sum up, the proposal is bold but workable.

• "All things considered,"

  neutral

  Weighs up before concluding.

  All things considered, I'd back option B.

• "The upshot is that…"

  neutral

  States the practical result.

  The upshot is that we'll save two days a week.

• "In a nutshell,"

  informal

  Punchy informal summary.

  In a nutshell, it's faster, cheaper and safer.

• "To draw these threads together,"

  formal

  Formal academic close.

  To draw these threads together, three factors stand out.

Signal opposing ideas — essential for essays and Speaking P3.

• "Having said that,"

  neutral

  Concede a point you just made.

  Having said that, the cost is still a real concern.

• "On the flip side,"

  informal

  Introduce the opposite view.

  On the flip side, the team would gain flexibility.

• "That may be true, but…"

  neutral

  Concede before pushing back.

  That may be true, but the timing is wrong.

• "Whereas X tends to…, Y…"

  neutral

  Clean parallel contrast.

  Whereas option A tends to be cheap, option B is more reliable.

• "Notwithstanding this,"

  formal

  Formal concession.

  Notwithstanding this, the policy was adopted.

Explain reasons and results without overusing 'because'.

• "This is largely down to…"

  neutral

  Attribute a cause.

  This is largely down to changing consumer habits.

• "As a direct result,"

  neutral

  Strong link to outcome.

  As a direct result, attendance has doubled.

• "Owing to…,"

  formal

  Formal cause marker.

  Owing to staff shortages, the project was delayed.

• "This has knock-on effects on…"

  neutral

  Shows ripple consequences.

  This has knock-on effects on morale and retention.

• "Hence,"

  formal

  Compact formal 'therefore'.

  Hence the need for a clearer policy.

For Proposals, Reports, Reviews and Speaking P3.

• "I'd strongly recommend…"

  neutral

  Confident recommendation.

  I'd strongly recommend piloting it for a term first.

• "It would be advisable to…"

  formal

  Formal advice.

  It would be advisable to consult the legal team first.

• "Why not try…?"

  informal

  Friendly suggestion (Review/email).

  Why not try the early-bird ticket — it's half the price?

• "One option worth considering is…"

  neutral

  Balanced, hedged recommendation.

  One option worth considering is a hybrid timetable.

• "It is recommended that the committee…"

  formal

  Report-style recommendation.

  It is recommended that the committee approve the funding.